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Fazzino’s trial delayed until October

Alexander Fazzino

By Melissa Erickson

Ames Tribune

A judge has approved a motion delaying the murder trial for a Boone man accused of killing his wife until October.

In their motion to continue, defense attorneys William Kutmus and Trevor Hook stated that “discovery in this matter has not been completed,” and that they were waiting for independent lab results in the case of Alexander Fazzino, who is accused of killing his wife, Emily Fazzino.

District Court Judge Michael A. Moon granted the request last week, and set a new trial date of Oct. 27.

The state did not resist the request to continue. This is the second time the trial has been delayed.

The Boone County case will be heard at the Winneshiek County Courthouse in northeast Iowa, where it was moved after both the defense and prosecution requested a change of venue.

Emily Fazzino, 34, was found dead in the couple’s Boone home Jan. 29, 2012. Court documents show she had filed for divorce six days earlier.

Alexander Fazzino called 911 about 8 p.m. the night of Jan. 29, stating that his wife was “trying to drown herself in the bathroom.”

Court documents show Alexander Fazzino told police he was in the basement of the home with the couple’s three children when Emily Fazzino went upstairs to take a bath. He told police he heard water running after some time, and went upstairs to check on Emily Fazzino, and found her face down with her head underwater.

Alexander Fazzino moved to Lee’s Summit, Mo., with the couple’s three children following Emily Fazzino’s death. He was arrested in Missouri more than a year later on April 7, 2013, following an investigation by the Iowa Department of Criminal Investigation.

Alexander Fazzino has entered a plea of not guilty to the charge of first-degree murder. He was originally held in the Boone County Jail on $1.5 million bond, but that amount was later reduced to $500,000. He posted bond in April 2013, and was released.

If convicted, Alexander Fazzino faces a mandatory life sentence without chance for parole.